Corruption

Conservatives may be able to forgive Newt Gingrich for being an adulterer and for his flip-flops on climate change and mandatory health insurance. They are willing to put those aside because they think he's shown a fierce attachment to their cause. But the latest revelations will be harder to digest, because they suggest that his allegiance is for sale. USA Today reports , “In a series of op-eds stretching over several years, Gingrich repeatedly advocated for various health-care related...

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday rejected a resignation offer from his budget secretary after the top court declared the government's discretionary fund illegal in the biggest test yet for its battle against graft. Aquino, the only son of democracy icon and former president Corazon Aquino, took power in 2010 on the promise of transparency, good governance and battling corruption to lift the Philippines from poverty. But he has...

The judge who sentenced Richard LeFevour ought to himself be investigated. The 12-year sentence for judicial corruption is a travesty. Not only is LeFevour eligible for parole in four years, he can be set free in even less time in the event his health deteriorates. In addition, LeFevour is given four months to report to his "prison resort." When will the judiciary in our community get serious about crime? We must give great credit to the U.S. attorney's office, and at the same time give some real concern to...

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison for corruption during the critical years of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. A jury in February found Nagin, a Democrat, guilty on charges including bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and tax evasion. Nagin, 58, stirred national controversy with his erratic behavior after Katrina breached floodwalls and...

PARIS (Reuters) - Former President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday France's justice system was being used for political ends, after he was put under investigation on suspicion of using his influence to gain details of a probe into his 2007 election campaign. The judicial step, which often but not always leads to trial, is a major setback to Sarkozy's hopes of a political comeback after his 2012 defeat by Socialist Francois Hollande. The conservative...

I admire what is being done by the Tribune. There cannot be a discussion on how to help Chicago survive without addressing corruption. It is the reason why we are where we are: corruption by mayors, aldermen, public workers, police, etc. Please include this in your work here. It is as foundational and structural an issue as anything you are planning to attack. - Evans Papanikolaou, Chicago

By Margarita Antidze TBILISI (Reuters) - Ukraine must take brave measures to transform an economy hooked on cheap Russian gas, huge state spending and corruption into an investment destination able to bolster a weak state, an economic adviser to the government said. Credited with helping liberalize Georgia's economy to shed Soviet-era practices that encouraged nepotism and corruption, Kakha Bendukidze has a tough message for his new employers - either overhaul...

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is promoting a casino at an undisclosed location over which he'd have incredible power. The bidding process to choose a vendor would be sealed, and records would be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act until after the vendor selection. Emanuel further proposes that Chicago have its own casino authority without state oversight. While explicit on the expected profits and taxes, he glosses over how much revenue would be channeled toward the school system. The integrity of...

By Megha Rajagopalan BEIJING (Reuters) - Three Chinese activists who campaigned for government officials to disclose their wealth were jailed on Thursday in the culmination of a high-profile trial that underscores Beijing's resolve to clamp down on dissent. The activists were among more than a dozen detained in recent months for their anti-corruption activism. Rights groups say the crackdown on the group throws into sharp relief the limits of President Xi...

Proponents of the Casino bill predict it will be a boon to Chicago and other communities that obtain casino licenses. It is a fallacy; existing casinos have suffered a loss of revenue that will get worse with four additional casinos and slot machines in the airports and race tracks. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel states that all the revenue from Chicago gambling ventures will go to schools, but we have heard that in the past. It doesn't make much sense for a mayor who is bent on privatization of assets to...

By Zachary Fagenson MIAMI (Reuters) - A federal judge denied prosecutorsâ efforts to jail a south Florida mayor for violating the terms of his bond after he was arrested last year for allegedly accepting thousands of dollars in bribe money from undercover FBI agents. Former Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi has been free on $100,000 bail since last August and is due to go on trial in July. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke warned Pizzi she would not...

Even by Illinois standards, Rita Crundwell is in a class of her own as a determined and opportunistic thief. The former comptroller for the city of Dixon pleaded guilty in November to embezzling $53.7 million from her town over two decades. She's to be sentenced Thursday. Prosecutors want U.S. District Judge Philip Reinhard to send her to prison for 20 years. That would be stiff: Federal guidelines call for up to 16 years. You'd hope the mere threat of a 20-year gig would deter others...

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Sussex player Naveed Arif has been banned from cricket for life by the England and Wales Cricket Board after breaching its anti-corruption code, the ruling body announced on Wednesday. Pakistani Arif admitted six breaches of the code relating to corrupt activity in connection with a 40-over match against Kent in August 2011. "In accordance with the provisions of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code, Mr Arif has accepted an agreed sanction of a life ban...

Jan. 13, 2003, inaugural address: "We will meet our challenges head-on and we will do it by rejecting the politics of mediocrity and corruption. ... I will govern as a reformer." February 2006, kicking off his re-election campaign: "We do everything right." September 2006, on accusations against his administration: "It's absurd, ludicrous, ridiculous, outlandish, OK? Accusations by scoundrels, OK?" Dec. 8, 2008, the day before his arrest "Whether...

The saga of Derrick Smith has been one long exercise in mixed messages. This one's unequivocal: guilty. A federal jury took only four hours to convict the lame-duck state representative of bribery and attempted extortion for pocketing $7,000 in exchange for his signature on a letter seeking a state grant for a day care center. Tuesday's verdict means the Chicago Democrat, who rose from sanitation worker to Illinois lawmaker, has now been booted from the General...

This is with reference to a recent editorial (“Illinois corruption: Who's next ?” Aug. 5). Corruption is a social evil and undermines political cum economic stability. It threatens security and damages trust and public confidence in systems which affect people's daily lives. A few years back it was reported that on a per-capita basis, Illinois ranked 18th for the number of public corruption convictions the federal government has won from 1998 through 2007. Illinois Governor Rod...

By Kim Palmer CLEVELAND (Reuters) - The mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to political corruption charges involving a property deal made while he was a county commissioner in the area. Mayor John McNally was released on a $15,000 bond after a hearing in Cuyahoga County court in Cleveland. McNally, a Democrat, had been a commissioner in Mahoning County, which includes Youngstown, from 2005 until becoming mayor in January. Earlier in...

Permit me to give an additional "Amen" to Shelia O'Brien for her recent begging to excommunicated from the Catholic church. She cannot bear to walk away. The circumstances in Kansas City are much worse than in Chicago. Our bishop is the true 'poster child' for all Ms. O'Brien finds repugnant. I have adopted the same "it's my church, I'm not leaving" ethic. We will remain the church long after the wealth, arrogance and corruption have met their inevitable fates. -- Dick...

BEIJING (Reuters) - The deputy director of China's National Energy Association (NEA), who was under investigation for taking bribes, has been sacked as a crackdown on the power body widens, state media reported on Wednesday. Xu Yongsheng was placed under investigation last week, one of a series of probes into the energy sector. The official Xinhua news agency reported on its microblog account on Wednesday that Xu had been removed from office. Three...